Meralco rushes to restore power services

After the onslaught of Typhoon Carina and habagat rain triggered power outages, the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) targets to restore the services for at least half of the remaining 330,000 affected customers within the day. 

At a press briefing this morning, Meralco Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications Joe R. Zaldarriaga said the company has already mobilized its team of linemen to accelerate power restoration across its franchise area. 

However, he noted that the full restoration timeline remains contingent on the recession of floodwaters in certain areas.

“We ask for your patience and understanding amid power disruptions caused by heavy floods caused by Super Typhoon Carina and the intensified southwest monsoon. The safety of our customers and Meralco line crews is our top priority as we continue to actively monitor the situation,” Zaldarriaga said.

“Rest assured, our crews will immediately be deployed to restore power in the affected areas once the floodwaters recede and everyone’s safety is assured,” he added.

Yesterday, about 640,000 customers in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal, as well as in some parts of Laguna, Batangas, and Quezon provinces, experienced power interruptions. 

As of 10:00 a.m., Meralco said reports from the ground showed that affected customers were down to 330,000. Of these, the majority, or 258,603 are in Metro Manila. 

Meanwhile, One Meralco Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of Meralco, positioned some of its employee volunteers to lead immediate relief efforts and prepare thousands of relief packs including rice, canned goods, coffee packs, and biscuits. 

As of yesterday evening, thousands of relief packs were already turned over to the Pasig City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office for distribution as emergency aid to affected families.

In a separate report this morning, the National Electrification Administration said about 114,565 connections in Central Pangasinan, Benguet, Mountain Province, Zambales, and Occidental Mindoro with a reported damage cost of P3.142 million were affected by the typhoon.